Morning Prayers

 

The first moments of the day belong to God. The saints advise giving Him your first thought on waking, before the phone, the news, or the to-do list. A morning offering takes less than a minute, yet it makes everything that follows (work, study, chores, even setbacks) a prayer offered in union with Christ. Choose a few of the traditional prayers below and make them your morning routine.

 

A simple five-minute morning routine

 

1. Make the Sign of the Cross as soon as you wake.

2. Say a Prayer Upon Rising.

3. Offer your day with the Morning Offering or the Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart.

4. Greet your Guardian Angel.

5. Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

 

More morning prayers

 

• Sacred Heart Short Aspirations, to renew your offering through the day

• Act of Faith · Act of Hope · Act of Love

• Prayer for Purity of Intention

• Offering of Daily Crosses

• Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah), the Church's morning canticle

• The Angelus, traditionally prayed at 6 a.m.

• Suscipe of St. Ignatius

• Come, Holy Spirit, before work or school

 

Before Mass in the morning

 

• Prayer Before Mass

• Prayer Before Holy Communion

 

Browse more: Morning & Evening Prayers · Daily Prayer

 

Also for the morning

 

Psalm 63, St. Patrick's Breastplate, and the Prayer Before Work (Actiones Nostras).

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the traditional Catholic morning prayer?

 

The Morning Offering is the classic Catholic prayer for the start of the day. In it you give God all your "thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings of this day" before the day begins.

 

Many Catholics pray it right after the Sign of the Cross, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. Our Morning Offering is the traditional form from the Baltimore Manual of Prayers (1889). The shorter Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart offers the day "through the Immaculate Heart of Mary" and ends with the intentions of the Holy Father.

 

What prayers should Catholics say in the morning and at night?

 

In the morning: the Sign of the Cross, the Morning Offering, a prayer to your guardian angel, and an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. At night: a short examination of conscience, an Act of Contrition, a prayer to your guardian angel, and a prayer for a peaceful night.

 

For the night, use the Evening Examination of Conscience, the Act of Contrition, the Guardian Angel Evening Prayer, and the Prayer for Sleep. The Nunc Dimittis is the Church's own night canticle. See Night Prayers for a simple bedtime routine, and our Daily Prayer page for the prayers of the whole day, from waking to bedtime.

 

What is Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours?

 

Morning Prayer, also called Lauds, is the Church's official prayer at the start of the day. With Evening Prayer it is one of the two main "hinge" Hours of the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the whole Church.

 

It is made up of a hymn, psalms and an Old Testament canticle, a short Scripture reading, the Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah), intercessions, the Our Father, and a closing prayer. Psalm 63 is its classic morning psalm. Our guide to the Liturgy of the Hours explains how to begin and where to pray it free online.

 

What is a good short morning prayer before work or school?

 

The Prayer Before Work (Actiones Nostras) is the classic one: a single sentence asking God to guide everything you do, so that it begins with Him and ends through Him.

 

Before school or an exam, students can pray Come, Holy Spirit or the Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Before Study, the prayer of the great Dominican scholar St. Thomas Aquinas. On a first day at a new workplace, pray the Prayer When Starting a New Job.

 

What morning prayers can I teach my children?

 

Start with the Sign of the Cross, the Angel of God, and a one-line morning offering such as "Jesus, I give You my day."

 

As they grow, add the Guardian Angel Morning Prayer, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary. A two-minute prayer said together before breakfast teaches more than a long one rushed. The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on October 2 is a good day to begin.

 

What time is the Angelus prayed?

 

Traditionally at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m., when many church bells still ring. From Easter Sunday to Pentecost, the Regina Caeli takes its place.

 

The Angelus takes about two minutes and recalls the moment the Word became flesh. If you miss the hour, simply pray it when you can.

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